Chunking words is a reading strategy students can use when they come across an unfamiliar word that they are having a difficult time sounding out. The students essentially take the word and divide it into chunks that they recognize. For example the word information can be chunked into in-for-ma-tion.
For the lesson we came up with movement for each individual chunk. Let's use "information" as an example. Let's say we decide to jump and hit a sharp shape in the air on "in", then we melt to the floor on "for", then we hit a twisted shape on "ma", and then we swing a body part on "tion". We would then read the word once in chunks while doing the movements, and then we would read the word normally and the movements would have to flow together. So the first time the word is read the movement would go something along the lines of jump...melt...twist...swing... When read a second time the movements would turn into jump/melt/twist/swing with no pauses.
We did one word as a class, and then I divided them into small groups of four or five students. Each group had their own word that they had to chunk and create movement for. Each group was then given the opportunity to perform what they created.
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